Valve mechanism for pneumatic scrubbing appliances.



A. E. MOORHEAD.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR PNEUMATIC SGRUBBING APPLIANCES.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 20, 1909.

Patented Aug. 5, 1913.

- INVENTOR WITNESSES A TTORNE Y COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu., WASHINGTON, u.c.

UNITED STATS PATENT @FETQE ALBERT E. MOORI-IEAD, OF SAN FRANCISCO,CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB TO AMERICAN ROTARY VALVE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

VALVE MECHANISM FOR PNEUMATIC SCRUBIBING- APPLIANCES.

Application filed October 20, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. Moonirnnn, a citizen of the United States,residing at San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valve Mechanismfor Pneumatic Scrubbing Appliances, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of the present invention is to provide a combined scrubbingand vacuum cleaning apparatus.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of the apparatus;Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the valve, viewed from theother side from that shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a bent suction pipe, clamped, asshown at 2, to a flexible pipe 3 leading to a suction pump.

4 indicates a pipe secured at one end to a hollow handle 5, flexiblyconnected with the back of a brush 6, from which depend bristles 7 andflexible tubes 8 interspersed between the bristles. The brush itselfforms no part of my present invention.

9 indicates a valve casing having a cylindrical extension 10 providedwith an axially arranged passage and within which is contained one endof a union 11, the other end of which is connected to the pipe t. Saidcasing has opposite to, and in line with, the first extension secondcylindrical extension 12 internally threaded at its outer end to receivethe externally threaded end of the bent pipe 1. Said casing is alsoformed with a cylindrical arcuate chamber 13, having an annular shoulder14: to receive a valve seat 15 which has a flange 16 confined betweensaid shoulder 14 and the threaded end of the pipe 1. One end of saidarcuate valve chamber 13 opens into the passage leading to the suctionpipe while its other end extends laterally beyond said passage. Thepassage through the extension 10 opens into said arcuate valve chamberin line with said suction pipe. Passing through, and rotating in, thesides of the casing is a rock shaft 17, upon which is secured within thecasing, a circular flap valve 18 and without the casing a thumb orhandle piece 19, so that, upon depressing said thumb piece the valve israised. Said casing is closed at the top by a cover 20 secured bySpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au 5,1913.

Serial No. 523,654.

screws 21 and having formed integral'therewith a valve casing 22 havinga valve seat 23. Said valve casing is closed at one end by a cap 24-,and at the other end by a gland 25 through which passes a valve stem 26having a milled head or handle 27, and connected to a conical valve 28which is normally pressed by a spring 29 against the valve seat 23formed in said casing. Entering into that part of the interior of thevalve casing which lies between the valve 28 and the cap 24 is a watersupply pipe 31. The cover 20 is formed with an aperture 32 constitutinga discharge port connecting the valve casing 22 with the interior of thevalve casing 9. The following is the mode of operating the device. Theconnection to the suction pump being opened and suction thus beingcreated in the bent tube 1, and the thumb piece 19 of the flap valve 18being free from the hand of the operator, the flap valve 18 is heldclosed by the partial vacuum created in the tube 1. The operator then,by means of his thumb applied to the head 27 pushes in the valve stem26, opening the valve 28 against the pressure of the spring 29. Waterfrom the pipe 31 flows under pressure into the chamber 22, past thevalve seat 23 and through the aperture 32 into the interior of thecasing 9 and by the pipe 4: to the brush, whence it flows through theflexible tubes 8 on to the floor or other surface which is to bescrubbed. In this position of the valves 19 and 28 the pipe 4: and theextension 10 becomes an outlet for the water. When a sufficient amountOi water has been permitted to flow on to said surface, the operatorremoves his thumb from the head 27 of the stem, whereby the conicalvalve 28 immediately closes by the action of the spring, 29, arrestingthe further supply of water. After sufiiciently scrubbing the floor towhich the water has thus been supplied, the operator then applies histhumb to the thumb piece 19 and deprcsse the same to open the valve 18thereby establishing communication between the pipe l and the extension10 with the pipe 1 leading to the suction pump. With the valves 19 and28 in this position, the pipe a and the extension 10 becomes an inletfor the dirty scrubbing water. The water is drawn to said suction pumpfrom the pipe 1-, and also from the interior of the tubes 8 in the brushand from the surface of the floor or other surface to be cleaned, whichlatter water has commingled with the dust and dirt upon the floor in theact of scrubbing, so that the dirty water from said surface is drawn to,and through, the suction pump, and discharged in any suitable manner.One portion of the surface having been thus cleaned, the operatorreleases the thumb piece 19 and again presses inward the milled head 27,thereby supplying fresh water to another portion of the surface tobe'cleaned, and then after scrubbing to a sufficient extent, depressingthe thumb piece 19 to open the valve 18, and permitting the water whichhas collected the impurities on said surface to flow to the suction pumpin the same manner as before, and so on indefinitely. By this means theoperator can supply water to a surface, and remove the dirty watertherefrom by the mere operation of transferring the pressure of thethumb of the hand which holds the device from one to the other of twovalve controlling elements. Thereby the operation of scrubbing can beperformed very easily and expeditiously.

I claim 1. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a valvecasing provided with top, bottom and side walls forming a valve chamberand having three ports or passages opening thereinto, two of said portsor passages being oppositely disposed and opening into the lower part ofsaid valve chamber through the side walls thereof and the third port orpassage opening into said valve chamber through the top wall thereof andarranged to discharge a fluid into \said valve chamber in the spacebetween said oppositely disposed ports or passages, pipes, one incommunication with each of said ports or passages, a flap valvepivotally mounted in said valve chamber, adapted to be swung toward andfor closing one of said oppositely disposed ports or passages, said flapvalve being normally retained in closed posit-ion and adapted to be.swung into the upper part of said valve chamber and out of the spacebetween said oppositely disposed ports or passages, a lever arm locatedwithout the casing and having operative connection with said fiap'valve, a second valve adapted for normally closing said third port orpassage, and means for opening said second valve.

2. An apparatus of the character described, comprising a valve casingprovided with a straight wall and an arcuate wall forming asector-shaped valve chamber and two oppositely disposed ports orpassages opening into said valve chamber adjacent the bottom thereof,one through the arcuate wall and the other through the straight wallthereof, pipes, one in communication with each of said oppositelydisposed ports or passages, a rock-shaft journaled in said valve casing,a flap valve connected with said rock-shaft and adapted to swing in saidvalve chamber, said flap Valve being adapted for closing the port orpassage in the straight wall and normally retained in closed position, alever arm located without the casing and connected with said rockshaft,a second valve casing located above and rigid with the first-namedcasing and having a chamber provided with a discharge port or passageopening into the upper part of said sector-shaped valve chamber, saidsecond valve chamber being provided with an inlet port and with a valveseat between said inlet and said discharge ports, a normally closedvalve coacting with said valvcseat, and means operable from the outsideof said second casing for opening said normally closed valve.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ALBERT E. MOORE-LEAD. lVitnesses FRANCIS M. VRIGHT, D. B. RICHARDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

